TENDER CO. POLISHED BRASS ELEPHANT KEYRING

Wonderfully solid addition to William's pocket hardware collection, Tender’s elephant is lost wax-cast in England from solid brass, and fitted onto a brass-plated steel keyring.

The elephant illustration woven into Tender’s clothes labels is taken from a 19th Century American advertisement encouraging prospectors to hurry to America where they would find unparalleled wealth. This gold rush coincided with, and arguably caused, the development of jeans. The elephant wears a smart set of boots and wears a blanket- this casting is modelled on the original advertisement. The Plautus face logo is impressed into the belt under the elephants tummy, and the boots are complete with hobnails and tassels.

Tender’s jeweller created the master with hand tools, from copper rod. This master is then used to make a mould, into which wax is poured. The wax is packed in plaster, and molten bronze is run in, melting away the wax and hardening inside the plaster. The plaster is then broken away and the piece is filed and cleaned up.

Made in England